On one of my first trips to North America, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that dandelions grew there. In Europe, dandelions are consumed in salads for their nutritional benefits. I am very interested in edible plants, and I am always on the lookout during my travels for the types of plants found in Europe.

Since the dandelion is both American and European, I was enthused to do a painting using them, but I needed a scene with a mammal found on both continents. The eastern cottontail and the European rabbit are quite similar, especially the young. Even though the painting of plants requires a strong discipline, the inspiration for this piece came quite easily.